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Andy House is a calm indipendent Villino with garden.
It is:
- 3 minutes from Fortezza da Basso (site of exhibitions) on foot
Welcome to B&B Delle Tre Donzelli, our B&B is located in a historic building of the sixteenth century,
Hotel De La Pace, is housed in a completely restored 19th century building.
The most recent renovation were completed in July 2005. The Hotel is situated on one of Florence's most elegant aristocratic and historical street street of the city.
Sani Tourist House is a cosy B & B located in Florence on the third floor of a XIII century building next to the museum 'La Casa di Dante'.
Hotel 'Locanda La Rotonda' is located in Montale, 5 km far from Both Prato and Pistoia and 20 Km far from Florence......
Farmhouse Poggio ai Mandorli has two splendid apartments renovated apartments furnished in Tuscan style.
The Hostel La Pania is a Mountain House and is located in the Park of the Apuan Alps near the medieval village of Pruno. From here there are many paths for climbing on the most important peaks of the Apuan Alps.
Violetta B&B is situated in the historic centre of Cavaion Veronese between ancient paths and foreshortenings on Garda Lake, 22 kilometers far from Verona city centre.........
It is located at the first floor in the same building of the Residenza San Maurizio and offers 5 Standard rooms with private bathroom......
At Casa Colori you can rent bikes to explore the surrounding Venetian villas and the Brenta Riviera.All rooms have en suite facilities and garden views.
Select your destination in Castro Italy. Browse thousands of listings for accommodations, adventures, tours and travel services.

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$248.00 donated in past month
IMC Network
BART Creates a New Way to Become a Criminal. The Vicious Crime of Seat Hogging.
In April, the BART Board passed a law making it illegal to occupy two seats during rush hour on a BART train. The law was not to take effect until the BART police presented their implementation strategy. At the most recent BART Board meeting the BART police presented how they intend to enforce the new law....
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2016 1:42PM
Community Keeps Memory of Yanira Serrano Alive
On June 4, the family of Yanira Serrano was joined in the city of Half Moon Bay by a large community of friends and supporters to commemorate the two year mark since the 18-year-old was killed by San Mateo County Sheriff's deputy Menh Trieu. Also in attendance were the loved ones of two other victims killed by police in the Bay Area, Errol Chang and Antonio Guzman Lopez....
Posted: Thu Jun 9, 2016 3:36PM
Community Remembrance in Honor of Yanira Serrano
Meeting in front of the mural located at "Our Lady of The Pillar Church" @ 2:00 pm for a ceremony and blessings. Then marching to Mac Dutra Plaza located at the corner of Main Street and Kelly Ave. Our Lady of the Pillar 400 Church St, Half Moon Bay, CA Mac Dutra Park Corner of Kelly and Main Streets, Half Moon Bay, CA...
Event Date: Sat Jun 4, 2016 2:00PM
Posted: Fri May 27, 2016 4:06PM
International Workers Day is a Call for Immigrant Rights/Better Housing Policies
May 1st, May Day, is traditionally celebrated as International Workers Day. In Mountain View, workers, their families and allies chose this day to call attention to the need for just and humane immigration reform and housing policies that do not disrupt family stability....
Posted: Mon May 2, 2016 2:24AM
Trump Forced to Sneak Through Fence to Reach California GOP Convention in Burlingame
Protests against Donald Trump are heating up in California as the June 7 presidential primary approaches. On April 29, it was the Bay Area's turn....
Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2016 1:35AM
Commission to Vote on Postponing Marine Protected Area Reviews
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) plan proposes to postpone regional scientific reviews of the effectiveness of "marine protected areas" from once every five years, as originally promised, to once every 10 years....
Posted: Tue Apr 5, 2016 4:34PM
San Mateo may enact just cause eviction protections & emergency rent control
It is crucial for renters to appear early at the Monday, April 4th - 7:00pm meeting at the San Mateo City Hall, 330 West 20th Ave., San Mateo, so the Council Members can hear directly why this proposal is so important for the communities of San Mateo!...
Posted: Fri Apr 1, 2016 7:30PM
Whole Foods Gets Educated on Driscoll's Berry Boycott
The Raging Grannies formed a Boycott Driscoll's Berries Committee after extensive study of the issue and much discussion with the national Driscoll's Boycott coordinators. While we demonstrated in front of Whole Foods in Palo Alto to raise consumer awareness, we found ourselves educating management when they came out to talk to us; they called the issue a "complex Mexico problem." However, the union that is demanding recognition from Driscoll's berries is in Washington state. (A union in S...
Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2016 7:15PM
Demo at Whole Foods: Boycott Driscoll's Berries!
On sidewalk in front of Whole Foods 774 Emerson St, Palo Alto, CA 94301...
Event Date: Thu Mar 31, 2016 3:00PM
Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2016 12:39AM
Protest Big Pharma - Free Harvoni for Hep C Prisoners! Free Mumia Now!
Gilead Sciences' HQ 333 Lakeside Drive Foster City, California...
Event Date: Fri Apr 1, 2016 12:00PM
Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2016 5:51AM
Committee for Green Foothills: Introducing Our First-Ever Annual Report
You may be surprised to hear that we've never created an annual report (I was when I realized it). But like most things, it's better late than never, right?...
Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2016 3:06PM
Humpback Whale Monitoring Proposal Ignores Record Number of West Coast Entanglements
OAKLAND, Calif., March 21, 2016 — The National Marine Fisheries Service's proposed plan for monitoring humpback whales ignores one of the fastest-growing threats to this iconic species: entanglement in fishing gear. Along the West Coast, a record 31 humpbacks were caught in fishing gear in 2015, according to new federal data....
Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 7:44PM
IBT UAL SFO Solidarity Picket/Rally Joined By Jesse Jackson
Teamster UAL mechanics, CWA AFA flight attendants and pilots joined in a solidarity picket line rally at SFO as part of a national day of action for a contract. UAL management are demanding give-backs and more concessions. They were joined at a rally with Jessie Jackson....
Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2016 4:55PM
No Contract No Peace IBT UAL SFO Mechanics Clock Out & Picket At UAL Maintenance Base
Hundreds of IBT UAL mechanics and CWA AFA flight attendants as well as unionists from other unions joined a mass protest at the UAL SFO maintenance base to protest the concession demands of the UAL management....
Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2016 4:37PM
California's Santa Cruz Cypress Recovering, Reclassified as 'Threatened'
SANTA CRUZ, Calif., February 18, 2016 — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today reclassification of the Santa Cruz cypress from "endangered" to "threatened" status under the Endangered Species Act (see PDF). The tree was protected in 1987 due to threats to its habitat, but now the habitat for all five populations is secure....
Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2016 5:42PM
In Palo Alto, Members of the Viagra Review Board Reconvene
Under a newly introduced bill in the state of South Carolina, men seeking Viagra or any other drug intended to treat erectile dysfunction would have to cool their heels for a 24-hour waiting period and pass psychiatric testing. In Palo Alto, California, members of the Viagra Review Board praised the bill....
Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2015 11:43AM
Tense Meeting on Minimum Wage in Mountain View Ends in Victory
A tense meeting in Mountain View city council chambers ended in victory for workers yesterday. The decision to raise the minimum wage came after contentious appeals from restaurant owners who wanted exceptions that would allow them to pay less than minimum wage to those earning tips and to teenagers....
Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2015 8:19PM
California Moves to Keep Whales Out of Crab Gear
OAKLAND, Calif.— A state-convened working group is recommending a series of important initial steps toward reducing whale entanglements in crab gear in California, including more monitoring and retrieval of lost fishing gear. The Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group was convened in September after the Center for Biological Diversity and other groups found that whale entanglements in 2014 and 2015 had reached historic highs....
Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2015 3:42PM
Raging Grannies Question Facebook's "Sustainability Guru" at Climate Rally
The Raging Grannies questioned the role of hi tech in the climate movement at a rally held next door to Google headquarters this week. They spoke with Bill Weihl who said he is Sustainability Guru for Facebook. His previous title was Green Energy Czar when he held a similar position at Google. The Grannies stated they find both titles pretentious. Weihl said they are "fun"....
Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2015 2:39AM
Students, Unions Cite Hi Tech for Increase in Inequality at Climate Rally
On October 14th, high school students and union members said the hi tech industry is fueling the climate crisis and economic injustice. They were at the People's Climate Movement rally in Mountain View. Top photo: Kian Martin of San Jose's Lincoln High School. Kian said that, "As a queer second generation Iranian-American youth, I feel it is my duty to fight for climate justice"....
Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2015 4:57PM


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Capital Markets
Company Overview of Palo Alto Venture Partners
BOARD MEMBERS AFFILIATED WITH John Neil Weintraut *
The information and data displayed in this profile are created and managed by Capital IQ, a Standard & Poor's company. Bloomberg.com does not create or control the content. For inquiries, please contact Capital IQ directly by clicking here.
MOST CONNECTED PEOPLE TO John Neil Weintraut
|Marvin D. Burkett
|38 Relationships
|Michael S. Pliner
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|Terry L. Opdendyk
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|Shanda Bahles
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20 Reasons Why We're Really Sad To Be Missing Comic-Con This Year
By Joanna Robinson | Seriously Random Lists | July 19, 2013 | Comments ()
Because At Any Moment You Could Encounter The Famed Barrowman Grope
Because By Halloween Our Sharknado Costumes Will Be Played Out
Because Now I Know Where They Went Wrong Last Season On "Dexter." Yvonne Strahovski Fell For The Wrong Morgan Sibling.
Because Of Miles Morales
Because Somehow These Flower Crowns Have Become A Thing
Because Sawyer Always Did Look Better In Glasses
Because Gillian Anderson Looks AMAZING
But Looks Even Better With Her Better Half
(Accept No Substitutes)
Because Of The Captain Hammer Dance
Because One Of These Things Is Not Like The Other (It's The Thing That Was On "Road Rules")
Because Sleeping On The Floor All Night Is More Fun If You Name It Something Cute
Because We've Found A Bizarro World Where Zachary Levi Is Still Relevant
Because Of Unexpectedly Short Hair
And Unexpected Beard Hair
Because After Years Of Looking Increasingly Like Your Aunt Mildred, Cary Elwes Got His Sexy Back
Because The Starks Are Alive…ALIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE
Because The "Hannibal" Cast/Crew Is Surprisingly Adorable
Because Celebrity Cosplay Is Cute…
But Fan Cosplay Is Better: Ruuuuuuuuuffffiiooooooo!
Because The King And Queen Of Geekdom Are There. And They Look Marvelous.
Pajiba Love Express
Here's some Daveed Diggs for you. On Daveed Diggs' digs, actually. That man does things with clothes that should not make sense, but are absolutely perfect. (Go Fug Yourself)
Woody Allen has "so moved on" from his daughter's accusations and says he never even thinks about it. He equates her words about him to a bad review he won't read and comments on how wacky it is that Mia Farrow is his mother-in-law. He is the worst. (Celebitchy)
Not The Worst but still very gross: Leonardo DiCaprio and his
Here are 5 under-the-radar shows. I had never even heard of the first two. (Uproxx)


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Kathleen Edwards
~ Person
Kathleen Edwards (born July 11, 1978) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician. Her 2003 debut album, Failer, contained the singles "Six O'Clock News" and "Hockey Skates". Her next two albums – Back to Me and Asking for Flowers – both made the Billboard 200 list and reached the top 10 of Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart. In 2012, Edwards' fourth studio album, Voyageur, became Edwards' first album to crack the top 100 and top 40 in the U.S., peaking at #39 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and #2 in Canada. In 2012, Edward's song "A Soft Place To Land" won the SOCAN Songwriting Prize, an annual competition that honours the best song written and released by 'emerging' songwriters over the past year, as voted by the public.
Showing official release groups by this artist. Show all release groups instead, or show various artists release groups.


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Directed by
|Hollis Frampton
"Maxwell's Demon" is a film from the great experimental filmmaker
Hollis Frampton, whose made some of the most hypnotic and great
experimental films of all time, and this film impressed me quite a bit.
What happens in it? Well, the premise is quite simple. There is a man
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Obviously, "Maxwell's Demon" is not going to please everybody, not even most moviegoers! But, it is a treat for experimental film fans. Of course, even some experimental film fans might think that that description of the film sounds terrible, but, trust me, if you're a huge fan of experimental cinema, you'll probably really like, or even love, this short film!
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|Hapax Legomena I: Nostalgia
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But many agencies are not yet ready to replicate its success in project management, GAO says
Management on a small scale
OMB and agencies need to improve planning, management and oversight of projects totaling billions of dollars
FAA uses earned value techniques to help manage information technology acquisitions, but needs to clarify policy and strengthen oversight
IT oversight bill gains support
OMB needs larger role in IT project oversight, GAO says
Senate panel faults agency IT efforts
Agencies are beginning to use earned value management to improve estimates of their information technology investments, but they dont always implement it effectively. The Government Accountability Office has said it recommends seven steps for effective EVM:1. Establish clear criteria for which programs are to use EVM.2. Require programs to comply with national EVM standards.3. Require programs to use a standard structure for defining the work products that lets managers track cost and schedules by hardware or software deliverables.4. Require programs to conduct detailed integrated baseline reviews of expected costs, schedules and deliverables.5. Require and enforce EVM training.6. Define when programs may revise cost and schedule baselines.7. Require system surveillance or routine validation to check that major acquisitions continue to comply with the agencys EVM standards. Mary Mosquera
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In the latest issue: grid security, agile development, BYOD and more!
Get the full issue
The latest version of the Defense Department-wide Enterprise Service Management Framework places more emphasis on managing IT risk.
Despite GSA's efforts to accelerate the FedRAMP approval process, the lack of agency reciprocity puts the program's central goals at risk.
Got some early-career colleagues who are doing great things in federal IT? Nominate them for FCW's 2016 Rising Star awards.
The agency software inventories required under the draft category management policy will be treasure maps that lead to efficient, effective, streamlined buying and unprecedented savings.
As experts warned of the "dire" threats posed by outdated federal technology, lawmakers grilled top feds, debated workforce issues and inched closer to backing a $3.1 billion fix-it fund.
The agency is making strides in developing and deploying border technologies but still has some weaknesses.
Agencies have spent almost $23 billion on legacy IT over the past three years, according to reports to Congress. Is a revolving fund the answer?
The United Kingdom will go live with its governmentwide digital identity platform, GOV.UK Verify, in the coming days. The U.S. government will need a little more time.
What contracting officer representatives really think is needed to fix contract management.
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Incineration Companies serving Philippines
Current filtering criteriaYou can remove a filter by clicking on the x
Category: Energy & Renewables ×
Subcategory: Incineration ×
Employees number: 11-100 ×
Industry: Chemical & Pharmaceuticals ×
Serving: Asia & Middle East ×
Serving: Philippines ×
Global Engi-Tech Pvt. Ltd.
based in INDIA
Incinerator Manufacturer & exporter. All Type of Incineration System for Bio Medical, Solid, Liquid, Paste, Gas and all type of Waste. Industrial Waste Incinerators, Municipal Waste Incinerators, Waste to Energy System, Bio Gas Plants, Waste to Electricity Generation Systems & Incinerators.
Catalytic Products International (CPI)
based in Lake Zurich, ILLINOIS (USA)
Catalytic Products International is the preferred resource for innovative and efficient industrial air pollution control solutions. Customers from across the globe rely on our expertise to solve their most complex VOC, NOx, and Odor pollution challenges. The custom engineered systems include, Thermal Oxidizers, Catalytic Oxidizers, Regenerative Thermal Oxidizers, Heat ...
Nika Engineers Pvt. Ltd.
based in Noida, INDIA
Manufacturers of solid & liquid waste incinerators, venturi and packed bed fume gas scrubbers.
Tecam Group
based in Llinars del Vallès, SPAIN
Tecam Group offers advanced environmental technology for Emissions Treatment and for Industrial Waste Incineration. Tecam Group designs, manufactures and installs several technology solutions, such as Thermal Oxidizers (TO), Regenerative Thermal Oxidizers (RTO), Regenerative Catalytic Oxidizers (RCO), Zeolite Rotor-Concentrator + Regenerative Thermal Oxidizers (RTO), ...
Bionomic Industries Inc.
based in Mahwah, NEW JERSEY (USA)
Bionomic Industries' recently redesigned website. We appreciate your interest in our company and hope you find our new site user-friendly, most informative and helpful in solving your present or future air pollution, emission control, product or waste heat recovery application. As the dominant worldwide leader in providing conventional and advanced gas absorption, ...
Master Magnets Ltd
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ERG (Air Pollution Control) Ltd
based in Horsham, UNITED KINGDOM
ERG (Air Pollution Control) Ltd is a leading supplier of air pollution control systems with a successful 30+ year history. We provide turn-key systems to give the best technical solution for the lowest capital and running costs. We have installed over 600 systems globally. To help you comply with emission regulations, we can draw on an unrivalled range of solutions. ...


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Despite all of the positive reviews it has garnered since its introduction in 2011, the Volkswagen Beetle still hasn't hooked me. It's nice to drive, and with a variety of engine choices (including diesel) and two different bodystyles, it's an incredibly versatile little car, ready to meet the…
- Reviewed by Steven J. EwingFULL REVIEW
3 out of 5 (17 Owner Reviews)
2005 Volkswagen New Beetle$5,950 / 72,640 miles / CA
2010 Volkswagen New Beetle$8,950 / 86,594 miles / CA
2006 Volkswagen New Beetle$7,991 / 47,676 miles / CA
- Volvo shoots for self-drivers by 2021
- Jeep spends $1 billion on factories
- Find Parts & Accessories for your vehicle!
- Obama rolls out new EV plan
- Infiniti dealers ranked best, Tesla worst
- Compare Volvo XC90 and Lincoln MKX


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Mark Schlabach and Ted Miller look over the teams that won't be playing for the national championship but still have plenty on the table in 2012.
2016 Pac-12 ultimate road trip: USC-Bama the choice Week 1
2hKevin Gemmell
Chuckie Keeton-Darell Garretson bond could be key to Beavers' progress
3hChantel Jennings
Pac-12 players dominate Polynesian POY watch list
5hKevin Gemmell
Take Two: Oregon or Washington?
1dChantel Jennings
Can Utah's wide receivers get the job done this fall?
1dChantel Jennings
Stanford's David Shaw drawing inspiration from Chip Kelly
2dKevin Gemmell
Oregon already previewing fall uniforms
2dChantel Jennings
The biggest trending teams in summer recruiting
2dRecruitingNation staff
Mailbag: Unhappiness from the under-hyped
5dTed Miller
Looking back at Dennis Green's memorable Stanford tenure
5dDavid Lombardi
USC's Adoree' Jackson performs a perfect wall flip
5dDavid Lombardi


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Read an Excerpt
Being Me
I am suffocating in a tunnel of complete, utter darkness created by the unexpected power outage in the storage unit I've been digging through in hopes of finding clues to Rebecca's whereabouts. I have been thrust into the middle of a dreaded horror movie, the kind I hate watching, and I instantly picture myself as the girl who makes all the wrong moves and ends up bloody and lifeless. I, Sara McMillan, am a logical person, and I tell myself to reject my fear as irrational. This is simply one of the random power outages San Francisco has experienced in the past few months, and a mouse at my feet is the worst of my worries.
But then, isn't that what the girl who gets killed in the horror movie always thinks, too? It's just a power outage. It's just a mouse. I was stupid to come here alone at night as it is and I try not to be stupid. I knew from a prior encounter that the attendant of this place was creepy but I dismissed him as a concern. I'd just been too darn desperate to feel I was doing something to find Rebecca, and desperate to take my mind off Chris's silence since our text exchange this morning, when I'd confessed to missing him. I fear his trip out of town for a charity event has given him time to decide he doesn't miss me. After all, he'd dared to show me one of his darkest secrets the night before and I'd done exactly what he'd said I would, and I'd sworn I wouldn't, by pushing him away. Running away, I add silently, thinking of the words Chris had used quite often to predict my behavior.
Another popping sound permeates the eerie silence and I am officially freaking out about more than Chris's silence. My mind struggles to identify the sound, with no results. Oh yes, indeed, I am so flipping stupid for coming here alone. And while I like to think I'm not stupid often, tonight proves that when I am, I do it in a big way.
I don't dare move, let alone breathe, yet I can hear low, raspy pants and I know they are mine. I will myself to silence but it doesn't work. My chest is tight, and air becomes harder to draw into my lungs. I need air. I need it desperately. I'm hyperventilating, I think. Yes. That's it. I remember this same, almost out-of-body sensation, from the moment a doctor exited my mother's hospital room five years ago and told me she was dead. Even knowing what is happening to me, I continue the damnable shallow gasps certain to give away my location. I do not understand how I can know what is happening to me and still not be capable of controlling it.
Somehow, I am standing and I don't remember standing. Papers fall from my hands that I don't remember holding. Panic rises inside me and tells me to scream and run. So right and real is this "fight or flight" sensation that I take a step forward, but another popping sound freezes me in place. My gaze jerks to the door, where I see nothing but more darkness. Nothing but this deep, black hole threatening to gobble me up. Another pop. What is that sound? Another noise—a shuffle of a foot, I think—sounds closer to the doorway. Adrenaline races through me, and I don't consciously think, I just act.
I launch myself across the room, in a direction I think is free of obstacles. Door, door, door! I need the door. Where is the damn door? My fingers find empty space and more empty space until, finally, I hit cold steel and relief washes over me as I slam the door shut. I hold my palms against the surface. Now what? Now what?! Lock the door. But I can't. Reality hits hard. The lock is outside and—oh, God—whoever is outside could lock me inside. Or . . . what if the person I sensed in the hallway had made it inside with me before I shut the door?
I whirl around at the terrifying thought and flatten myself against the door. I remember my phone in my jacket pocket and dig for it. I can't see anything. I clearly cannot even think straight. How had I not thought of my phone before now? I grab it but it slips from my hand and drops to the ground. Frantically, I fall to my knees on the ground to scrabble for it, relieved when my hand closes around the slick plastic, but I struggle without success to get the lock button off.
As I dart to my feet, afraid I'll be slashed to death while trying to dial—and this time nothing is stopping my escape. Running might be another stupid move, but at this point not running feels pretty darn stupid, too. I yank the door open and more darkness greets me, but I don't care. I run and pray that I don't charge into whoever is inside with me or trip over my own feet in the black hole that is everything around me. I just want out. Out. Out. Out. It is all I can think of. It's what drives me forward in the direct line to the exit. I am an explosion of fear and adrenaline that has dissolved the logic I'd had moments before.
I search for the exit, for light, but the exterior door that had been open is closed, and I hit it with a force that rattles my teeth. The iron taste of blood spills into my mouth where my teeth have ground into my tongue, but I don't let it shake my resolve to escape in one piece. I feel for the handle and let out a breath of relief when it gives and the door opens.
Within a split second I am out of the building, the dim streetlights and cold San Francisco night air a welcome escape from the suffocating darkness of the building as I bolt for my car. My muscles flex and burn as I fear someone is at my back but I do not dare waste precious seconds to confirm or deny this possibility. The delicate skin of my palm is pinched between my keys where I have squeezed the metal into the flesh, and I struggle to find the electronic clicker to unlock my car door. Time seems to stand still as I fight the urge to look behind me again and, instead, I tug the door open.
Certain someone is about to grab me from behind, I throw myself into my seat and yank the handle, sealing myself inside and clicking the locks into place. Frantically I look out my window and see no one, but I expect shattered glass any second. My hands shake with such fierceness I have to steady one with the other to get the key in the ignition. The instant it's in, I start the engine and throw the vehicle into reverse. Tires squeal and my heart thunders. I shift the gear into drive and instantly stomp on the brake, jerking myself forward with the impact. The sound of my heavy breathing fills the eerily silent car as I stare at the open door of the building and see nothing spectacular or scary. It's just . . . there. And I'm here and no one else seems to be around.
It doesn't matter. The longer I sit here the more I feel exposed, vulnerable, a target. My foot hits the gas. I need out of this parking lot and I need out now.
I'm barely on the side street leading to the highway, my hands clutching the steering wheel, when it hits me: the storage unit is unlocked. I've left it open and I'm driving away. I cut the car into a gas station and park beside the building. I just sit. It could be a minute, or two or ten. I can't be sure. I can't seem to form coherent thoughts. I let my head fall to the steering wheel and try to focus. The storage unit. Rebecca's secrets, her life. Her death. My head jerks up. No. She's not dead. She's not dead . . . and yet, I know in my gut there is a secret about her in that storage unit that someone doesn't want me or anyone else to discover.
"I have to go back and lock the unit," I whisper. I could call the police to meet me. They won't arrest me for being afraid of the dark. They might laugh, they might be irritated, but I'll be safe and smart this time.
My cell phone rings from the seat, where I don't remember tossing it, and I jump, balling my fist between my breasts. "Good grief," I murmur, chiding myself. "Get a grip, Sara."
I glance at the number. Chris. My chest burns hot with emotion. There is so much between us that is unsettled, so many reasons why we are wrong for each other. Yet, despite this or perhaps because of it, I have never needed to hear someone's voice as much as I need to hear his now.
"Sara," he murmurs when I answer, and my name is a soft rasp of silky male perfection that radiates through me and settles in the deep hollow of my soul only he seems to fill.
"Chris." My voice cracks on his name, because damn it, my eyes are burning. How have I gone from living the past few years so unaffected by what is around me to the opposite in a matter of weeks? "I . . . I wish you were here."
"I am here, baby," he says, and I think, I hope, I hear a note of his own emotion etched deep within his words. "I'm at your front door. Open up."
I blink in confusion. "I thought you were in L.A. for the charity event."
"I was and I have to fly out again in the morning, but I had to see you. Open up and let me in."
I am stunned. I've worried all day over his silence. Feared he'd shut me out, as I had him last night. "You came home just to see me?"
"Yes. I came just to see you." He seems to hesitate. "Are you going to leave me outside?"
More of that emotion I try not to feel erupts inside me, and the burn in my eyes threatens to become tears. He came to see me, went out of his way, to fly here from another city, even after the way I'd reacted to his confession at the club last night. "I'm not home." My voice is barely audible. "I'm not and I want to be. Can you please come here?"
"Where is here?" he asks, sounding as urgent as I feel.
"A few blocks away. At a Stop N Buy store by the storage unit I told you about." I can't bring myself to say Rebecca's name and I don't know why.
"I'll be right there."
I open my mouth to give him directions, but the line goes dead.


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Rangers, Sharks swap forwards
The San Jose Sharks, parent club of the AHL's Worcester Sharks, have acquired forward Tommy Grant and a conditional seventh-round selection in the 2014 NHL Draft from the New York Rangers, parent club of the AHL's Connecticut Whale, in exchange for forward Brandon Mashinter.
Grant, 26, has posted nine goals and seven assists for 16 points in 34 games with Connecticut this season. As a rookie last season with Connecticut, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound native of North Vancouver, B.C., notched 23 points (11g, 12a) with 39 penalty minutes in 72 games. Grant made his pro debut with the Whale in 2011 after completing his senior season at the University of Alaska-Anchorage.
Mashinter, 24, played in 30 games this season with Worcester, posting two goals, three assists and 44 penalty minutes. The fourth-year pro had totaled 54 goals and 54 assists for 108 points, along with 324 PIM in 236 career AHL games, all with Worcester. In 2010-11, the native of Bradford, Ont., played 13 NHL games with San Jose, registering no points and 17 penalty minutes.
- Reid Cashman named Bears' assistant coach
- Syracuse signs Adam Comrie
- Sydor, Tkaczuk join Wolves coaching staff
- Columbus signs Broadhurst, Tynan, Harrington
- DeFazio heading to Texas
- Lightning re-sign Yanni Gourde
- A record rookie season
- Helmer named Hershey's VP of Hockey Operations


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The Rep…More than Quartet
String Trios, Quintets and Beyond
It is generally agreed that the string quartet is the ultimate chamber music idiom. While there are surely those that differ with that assessment, I confess that I agree from my perspectives as both a listener and a performing artist. Many of the greatest composers from Haydn to the present day have tried their hand at quartet writing. Many have succeeded in giving us their best creations, some of which are regarded to be some of the greatest creative work of human kind.
When asked about repertoire for other combinations of strings, most musicians can come up with a relatively small list of trios, quintets, sextets and more. However, in reality, there is a lot of music for string ensembles that are not quartets. Although the most well known examples are in general the best pieces for those combinations, a lot of the lesser-known works are quite good. These pieces are particularly useful to use with student groups. Much the same as there are pieces used as "preparatory" concertos and sonatas for string players, these lesser known chamber works can provide all of the same challenges and educational benefits as the great masterpieces without the pressure of having the performance compared by audiences to performances and recordings of great and famous ensembles. In addition, whereas audiences of chamber music too often and unfortunately tend to want the "standards" and might be leery of going to concerts with works they don't know, student groups do not have that pressure.
Knowing about these pieces, or at least knowing where to look to explore the possibilities and obtain parts can be enormously helpful to a coach in choosing repertoire for a group. For example, if the group happens to be a quintet with two violins, one viola and two cellos, the work that will come to mind is Schubert's Quintet in C. But, perhaps the group is not really ready to tackle that type of monumental masterpiece, or some members of the group have already worked on it. Most students don't know that piece very well, and might be just as happy to play the Quintet by Dotzauer or Berger, or perhaps one of the thirty-odd cello quintets by Onslow (!) or one of the over one hundred by Boccherini (!!!). In other words, there is a ton more music out there to choose from than is generally thought to exist, and a lot of it is great learning material for student ensembles.
STRING TRIOS: The number of trios that are well known by a lot of musicians is small compared to the string quartet literature. Nonetheless, there are several standards, most notably the five trios Beethoven wrote before his Opus 18 String Quartets. After that, many people get stumped about the repertoire and often skip forward to the Serenade by Dohnanyi. For me, there is one really great masterpiece for string trio that is often overlooked: Mozart's Divertimento in E-flat, K.563. This is a magnificent six-movement piece that is technically difficult and surprisingly virtuosic, especially for the viola and cello. So what else is there for student groups to explore? Of the better-known composers, there are two trios by Schubert and over twenty by Boccherini. There are also trios by Haydn, Reger, Sibelius, Strauss, Villa-Lobos and many, many more.
The most common variation on the standard string trio is the version with two violins and viola. Dvorak's Terzetti (op. 74 and 75a) are probably the best known of these works, but there are other choices. The trios by Kodaly and Fuchs are wonderful but difficult. Other composers include Frank Bridge, Martinu, and arrangements of other notable composers such as Beethoven's Opus 87 Trio for Oboes and English Horn.
If the group consists of two violins and cello, there is music by Haydn, Boccherini, Borodin, CPE Bach, Mozart, Pachelbel, Tartini, Vivaldi, Hoffmeister and others. There are even trios for two violas and violin. Have a look into the trios by Hummel.
STRING QUINTETS: The most common version of five string instruments is string quartet plus an extra viola, also known as the viola quintet. There are a number of wonderful works for this combination. Most notable are those by Mozart (6), Brahms (2) and Dvorak. More overlooked but excellent pieces include those by Beethoven (op. 29) and Mendelssohn (2). Beyond that, there are many works by quality composers that can be great choices for student groups. Some of the more notable composers who wrote for this combination include Boccherini, Bruch, Bruckner, Martinu, Nielsen, Resphigi, Spohr (7) and Vaughn Williams. There is also an excellent Quintet for three violins, viola and cello by Loeffler. When it comes to string quartet plus an extra cello, also known as cello the cello quintet, nearly everyone knows of the Schubert previously mentioned. Few works in any genre can compare favorably to that amazing piece, but the next best known is probably the Glazunov and Boccherini's A major Quintet with the famous last movement. However, there really is a lot of music written for this combination, and most of it compares favorably with the last two works mentioned. Besides the over 100 quintets by Boccherini, the music of George Osnlow (1784-1853) has a lot to offer. He wrote over seventy works of chamber music including many cello quintets. His cello quintet in C Minor, Op. 38 is especially interesting. Known as "The Bullet Quintet", it was written after a hunter apparently shot him in the head while he was sketching music themes in the woods. The piece chronicles the drama of the event and his recovery! Other notable composers include Bax, Borodin, Goldmark, and Milhaud. The quintets by Berger and Dotzauer are also interesting and there are two arrangements of the Brahms Piano Quintet for cello Quintet. That work was originally a cello quintet, but Brahms re-wrote it for piano quintet and destroyed his manuscript of the string quintet version.
If there is a double bass involved, the most famous and best work is the Op. 77 Quintet by Dvorak. Some other pieces can work substituting a cello part with a bass. This can work well in the music of Haydn and early works of Mozart such as the "Early" Quartets and Divertimenti. There are also quintets by Boccherini (3), Dittersdorf (6), Milhaud, Hindemith and the Rossini String Sonatas.
In many cases, where to get the music is as big a problem as what to choose. Thanks to the Internet, there are now many easy ways to find music, and much of it can be free if you have a printer and Internet access. All one really needs to do is type in queries such as "string quintets" or "string trios" to find a tremendous amount of information. To purchase music and get specific editions quickly and reasonably, one website I find very useful is www.sheetmusicplus.com. Besides having a huge selection, throughout the year they have excellent sales on various editions such as Henle and Barenreiter. One site in particular is extremely useful and well known. The IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library has free downloads of a vast amount of music (both scores and parts) that are in the public domain. This includes many well-known masterpieces, but also includes many of the more obscure works by less famous composers. The site is www.imslp.org. Once there, simply click on the Petrucci Music Library box and you will be sent to an amazing site that might actually convince you that computers aren't all bad!
Yo-Yo Ma on Intonation, Practice, and the Role of Music in Our Lives
Reprinted from Strings Magazine, September 17 2015
By Martin Steinberg:
"A cellist walks on a beach and picks up a bottle. A genie pops out and says, "I give you two wishes."
The cellist says: "Wow, I'd like to have world peace."
The genie thinks for a second and says,
"That's too hard! What's your second wish?"
The cellist says, "Well, I'm turning 60 and I want to play in tune."
The genie thinks for a second and says, "What was your first wish again?"
Musicians, take heart. That joke was told by the cellist Yo-Yo Ma during an interview ahead of his 60th birthday on Oct. 7. After 55 years of playing, yes, even Yo-Yo Ma needs to practice.
"What all string players have in common is that if we don't play for awhile, we actually start from ground zero," Ma says. Ma was four when he started the cello.
At seven, he was performing with his big sister for an audience that included two US presidents. Now nearing his milestone birthday, he's ever youthful, always learning, asking questions, constantly building bridges.
And striving for perfection.
Despite all his achievements—more than 100 CDs, 18 Grammy Awards, and other honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Arts—he's going full tilt toward more accomplishments.
In the weeks before his birthday, Ma's agenda was packed. At Tanglewood, his scheduled performances included all three Brahms trios with Emanuel Ax and Leonidas Kavakos and the six Beethoven cello sonatas with Ax. That was followed by a six-country European tour with Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony, featuring Strauss' Don Quixote in advance of next year's 400th anniversary of Cervantes' death. At the London Proms, he was scheduled to play all six Bach Cello Suites in one night. In September, his new album, Songs from the Arc of Life (Sony Masterworks), with long-time accompanist Kathryn Stott on piano, was to be released, as was a documentary focusing on musicians in his Silk Road Ensemble—a collective of musicians, composers, visual artists, and more that explores Eurasian culture.
The journey began in 1955 in Paris, where Ma was born to immigrant Chinese musician parents. His sister, Yeou-Cheng Ma—a violinist, pianist, medical doctor, and children's orchestra administrator—remembers that their father started Yo-Yo on the violin at age two and a half, then piano, but he didn't like them.
"He didn't want to do something that I already did because he could see that I already knew how to play," Yeou-Cheng Ma says. "He was a very smart kid, very intuitive . . . and a charmer, even at a young age."
So he didn't play any instrument for the next year and a half, during which time the family moved to New York. One day, he saw a newsreel about a New Orleans jazz band and noticed the double bass. "He was thrilled," his sister recalls. "He said, 'That one! The big one! That's what I want!'" But since he was so little, he was given the second-biggest one, a cello. Their father, Hiao-Tsiun Ma, taught him the Bach Suites, measure by measure. At age seven, Yo-Yo and Yeou-Cheng performed Breval's Concertino No. 3 at a fundraiser for the Kennedy Center. The audience included President John F. Kennedy and former President Dwight Eisenhower.
Ma went on the study with Leonard Rose at the Juilliard School, but dropped out and entered Harvard at age 16, majoring in the history of science. Since then, he has been on a magic cello ride around the world, figuratively and literally. As he approaches the start of his seventh decade, Ma says he is swimming and walking, watching what he eats, and assessing his goals—"What's worth really, really trying hard for?"
About the genie joke. You don't have intonation problems. What are you talking about?
Mark Salzman wrote this wonderful book about a cellist (The Soloist) . . . seeking perfection. Of course, you cannot achieve perfection and you kind of get paralyz
ed, so you have to find equilibrium between the possible—what's realistic and what is ideal.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
Family. I love my family. They're great people, and I'm just so, so lucky to have them. That's by far.
In your career?
To have been part of these children's television shows Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Sesame Street, [and] Arthur, because what happens when you go on a child's show is that they're not a guest in my world, but I'm the guest in their world. If they accept you, it's permanent, it's theirs. And that is so important because to me that is the basis of all cultural understanding, or any artistic understanding, which is you have to stand on the inside. So if you're accepted into a child's world, that's the greatest gift of all.
I've had the great luxury of meeting kids who saw [me] many years ago, and I see them as teenagers, 20 year olds, 30 year olds, and they can tell me, "This did this to me at that time and therefore I did this at that time." And that's incredibly rewarding.
I didn't expect that answer. You never fail to surprise.
I think that, and probably being part of building the Music Garden in Toronto [as part of Ma's "Inspired by Bach" series]. There's a music garden that Julie Moir Messervy based on the First Bach Suite. Because that's another symbol of what culture means to me . . . . Culture is kind of like a living seed and it can grow in places that are not fertile . . . . Gardens are not just existent in nature, but somehow there's a human element of tending it, caring for, of enriching, of selecting.
And then, of course, the garden is there to be enjoyed, to be used, to be part of people's lives in different times and seasons. To me, it is the ultimate metaphor for culture. And for culture, I would say, what we tend in our human garden is probably things like the arts, the sciences, and philosophy.
I've been thinking of these things because I've always wondered, what is music for? And lately, a lot of musicians are interested in music and health. What is it that actually becomes a passion? Is it the sound, is it the activity, is it what state of mind you get to, where you are actually in the activity of teaching music, of playing music and joining with others into creating music? What part of the brain does it use? How does it affect your state of mind? How does it affect the other things? And so whether you're a child or an adult [or] a retired person, what do these things do to your brain?
And what are educational systems based on? Where did our high school subjects come from? Our studies are from 1910, so [do] we need to reboot that? How does art fit into that, how does that fit into arts funding and science funding? What are we educating our children for? Is it a transactional thing? Do you pay that money in order to get better jobs or is there something about education that is different?
I think those are serious questions that the nation's considering. Not just this nation but every nation. "Oh, we're falling behind in the sciences! Oh, we have to do STEM [science, technology, engineering, and mathematics]!" But wait a minute? Do we have common philosophy? Is it e pluribus unum, which is on every quarter, or is it "all for one and one for all?" Or is it just for me? Because is what's good for me good for everybody?
So these are the questions and when we think about them it affects the sounds that we make. And I think for Strings, and the edition of Strings that you are writing for, I think that's something—yes, strings are like vocal cords and how we use our voice, whether we use it to alert, warn, soothe, pacify, communicate, what are we communicating, who are we communicating to, what's the purpose of the communication? Is it to join, is it to separate, is it to point to something larger, is it to something in the micro world, in the macro world?
I think those are incredibly interesting things that I would like to continue to consider after turning 60, because by many standards, I'm old. I'm part of AARP [laughing] and I can get a discount on the bus. So is my contribution less now that I'm old, or what is it that I can contribute for certain? Whatever I do is becoming less interesting than what other people do . . . . I'm less at the center of my world than when I was 20, when I was trying to say: I can do this, I want to do this.
This seems to be fodder for a very important book on society.
No, just musings of a middle-aged person going through what everybody goes through. I'd like to be able to think about these things, but also be able to try and play in tune. But while I'm playing in tune, not to obsess over intonation, but the obsession of trying to play in tune because transcending technique allows me then to communicate the content.
Do you still practice a lot?
I actually enjoy practicing more and more . . . as a child, I practiced because I had to practice and you didn't want to mess up. But that's not a good thing. You want to please your teacher, you want to please your parents, you want to please your peers. And now I practice because I've experienced so much love that you practice out of loving a phrase, loving motivic change, loving a structure or harmony change or the way a sound can get to something.
I think that part of practicing is great because it unites what you want to do in engineering, as in technically, where do you put your arms and your fingers and your body—micro movements—with that desire and the feeling of what it needs to be. That's a wonderful process because it's a constant of going toward something bigger than the notes and yourself, and very lovingly so.
Whenever I catch myself playing something that sounds mechanical but dead, it's because either I'm not paying attention or it's something difficult that I haven't solved. Sort of like a physicality issue that, you know, sudden tension, so I freeze up and become more internalized, so I can't love it. Loving something implies going outside yourself and fear means retreating into yourself. I'm scared. Well, go back into yourself. That's a metaphor for societal fears when a whole people are scared of something that they can't control and sort of hits them, what do they do? It becomes more tight, they will make much, much more conservative decisions. The counteracting of that is culture. Hey, wait a minute, I want to know what that fear is. I'm going to research that fear. What exactly is that fear? Is it exactly what I think it is? Is that what I feel or can I analyze it? What's the truth behind the fear? So you kind of have to look at that—that's a key in performance. When someone performs, you want that person to be open and not to have any barriers. Any barriers that are set up between the performer and the audience actually impedes the communication of what needs to be.
I often tell people the world needs more Yo-Yo Mas, and this is a perfect example. Just these ideas alone, if people could hear them, everything that's headed in the wrong direction can turn around.
I don't know. We're so invested in thinking, in trying not to screw up. Basically, I have your back. We don't want to make obvious mistakes, so we cover up. But actually, to really create trust, you have to trust that it's OK to make a mistake, and you're not going to be punished for it. We acknowledge and do better the next time. It's one of the hardest things to do because we don't want to look like fools. [New York Times writer] David Brooks has been talking lately about what we work for: our CVs or do we work for our eulogies? There are different things that you work for, curriculum vitae, and people talk about a person differently in the eulogy. There you talk more about character—this and that—and so which one are we working for? That's a kind of philosophical question, isn't it? That comes with a philosophical part of culture. What are we as a society working toward? So what are we working for in a community, what are we working for in a political party, what are we working for in classical music?
You're about to perform the Elgar Concerto, and have done so many times. How much time must you devote to it at this point?
The thing is, you know, there is engineering, neuromuscular finger work, and there's head work. So for anybody who's really really passionate, basically it's whatever it takes and it's also head work. It's kind of all the time. It's sort of like you're downloading a program in your computer, it's in your brain. When I go on to do the Elgar, I start thinking about it, on and off, all the time. So I'm thinking, "Huh, how about trying it this way?" So you're always in some ways trying to hear something a certain way, solving a problem a certain way, and rethinking it and thinking there's a better way to build this mousetrap. So you want to align your physical self and your mental self into the state of mind that is required of that piece.
Do you ever envision your life after cello?
Like après-ski, hot chocolate by the fireplace, with pizza?
You're not going to lose any weight like that.
You're right. Maybe a cup of herbal tea and some nuts. Well, I've always been interested in people and culture and arts and sciences and philosophy and typology, so I think I'm always going to be thinking about it, and the older I get, the more I'll get interested in young people because that's another form of culture.
The young people's world—we may occupy the same space, but they will think differently and have many different reasons to do what they do and I'm deeply curious about that. I like to think of it in K through 12 and beyond and how people learn—why they learn—and so I will always be thinking about these things.
Opening the Beethoven A Major Cello Sonata: Obsessing Over the First Five Bars
By Brian Hodges:
The five Beethoven Cello Sonatas are iconic for a number of reasons. First and foremost, they're some of the first pieces to include the cello in a true duo partnership, something the violin had been enjoying for a long time.
While the first two sonatas (Op. 5, 1 and 2) are actually listed as Sonata for Piano and Violoncello, things have changed by the third sonata, Op. 69 in A Major, with the cello now getting top billing. The sonata was written during Beethoven's middle period and immediately one can sense his expansive creativity at work in full force.
The opening is one of the more notorious openings in all of the cello literature. It starts with the famous melody played by the cello alone, like a soliloquy.
What looks simple contains a host of difficulties and issues to work out.
As seen from the example above, Beethoven indicates Allegro ma non tanto for the tempo indication. 'Tanto' means "not so much", so the implication is fast, but not overly so.
Whatever your exact tempo is, securing a consistent and correct tempo at the onset is quite difficult given that Beethoven starts with two half notes and a dotted half. It's tricky to feel just exactly where the pulse is. Generally, players tend to take the first three notes in one tempo, then when the quarters start, they blend into a different tempo altogether. Next, in bar 4, and the end of bar 5, there's a strong temptation to slow down. So, with all that, we've now had roughly 4 different tempos in the first six measures.
The key is to subdivide. Put the metronome at either a quarter pulse, or even an eighth pulse. Feel the smaller divisions in the half notes and dotted half, which will then transition smoothly into the quarters without changing the tempo. Even in performance, always think subdivisions. This will keep you honest and give a clearer sense of the opening melody, not to mention giving your pianist something to grab onto.
Despite keeping a steady pulse through the first five bars, many cellists slow down a tiny bit before the low E in measure 6. Their rationale is that it's the end of the phrase, so it's appropriate to set the downbeat of the sixth measure. But, in actual fact, it's not the end, it's just the beginning, and the cello part neatly hands off the melody to the piano. By slowing down, you're making it difficult for the pianist to come in with any stability, especially since they're coming in on the fourth beat.
While fingerings are entirely personal, there is a general consensus that one plays the majority of the opening theme on the G string. Many players start in first position, then shift up to fourth position by the second note. Some performers, however, play the opening A in fourth position on the C string, preferring to cross over a string rather than shift. The thing to keep in mind about whatever fingering you decide to use is to keep it simple. Keep the shifts silent, and string crossings as smooth as possible. Listen to when the piano has the theme in measure 13. Emulate the sound of the piano, in order to keep it as straightforward and pure as possible.
Assuming you are using the common fingering of starting in first position on the A and shifting up to fourth position for the E, make sure you prepare your left arm for the impending shift. During the last third of the A, your left arm should be starting the shifting motion and initiating the shift. Your second finger (as well as the rest of the hand) can start to open up once the arm starts to move and take over the shift, once you leave your first finger. Practice this slowly and keep the movements as efficient and smooth as possible.
Many cellists forgo vibrato on the opening theme to create a more "pure" tone. As is well documented, vibrato did not have the ubiquitous presence it has now in string playing, serving as more of an ornament than a constant. Of course, this is a personal choice, but a little vibrato can be nice and shouldn't disrupt the line too much.
The real advantage to using vibrato is that it can mask the wolf-tone that can crop up on the F# on the G string (third note of the theme). It's a real let-down for that beautiful theme to be corrupted by a stuttering wolf-tone.
Beethoven's slur markings, if taken at face value, can be very impractical. They can often stretch over entire phrases, leaving one to think he wants the entire passage slurred. Generally speaking, those long slurs are more phrase markings than actual specific slur markings.
From the manuscript, we see that the first bar is slurred, and the next two bars are slurred. If we were to follow that exactly, you'd need to get way out to the tip for the second bar, if you're starting down bow. Beethoven's slur doesn't work the best in that scenario, so many players break the slurs up.
An interesting alternative is to start up bow. Change to down bow on the second bar and keep Beethoven's original slur intact all the way to the fourth bar. I find that it supports the phrasing quite nicely.
Of course, there are numerous solutions and possibilities, and it's inevitable that you'll change your mind, as I have, many times. Whatever your decide, it should support the phrasing.
For something so simple, this opening theme can be very frustrating; a fair amount details to keep track of in just five measures. Like the fingerings and bowings, there are a variety of ways to shape this passage.
The general shape of the phrase shows the notes moving up, gradually working their way down, a little coda, before finally setting on the low, pedal E. My advice is to get out of the way of the notes—go with the shape. We can very easily over-phrase it making it incomprehensible. Beethoven has done most of the work for you; allow the notes to go where they want to. Use your bow speed and variances in arm weight to define the shape as you want it.
It is very possible to obsess over these five bars and turn it into something that it's not, when, in reality, it's a simple, catchy tune. While keeping track of the details, don't forget to step back and see the bigger picture, and enjoy this gift that Beethoven has given us cellists.
1 Ludwig van Beethoven Werke, Serie 13: Fur Pianoforte und Violoncell, Nr. 107, (Leipzig: Breitkopf und Hartel, n.d. [1863], 65-94. Public doman.
2 Ludwig van Beethoven, Sonata for Violoncello and Piano in A Major, Op. 69, scan of manuscript facsimile, Beethoven-Haus, Bonn.
Cellist, Brian Hodges is an active soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. With his wife, Betsi Hodges, he has given recitals across the US, Canada and Italy. Brian is Associate Professor of Cello and Coordinator of Chamber Music at Boise State University and is principal of the Boise Baroque Orchestra. He performa regularly with Classical Revolution: Boise, which has been featured at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival and on Radio Boise. Originally from San Antonio, Texas, he soloed with the San Antonio Symphony as a winner of the Young Artists Competition. He went on to study at the Eastman School of music earning his Bachelor of Music degree in cello performance and stayed on to complete his Master of Music degree in cello performance where he was the teaching assistant to Marcy Rosen. He recieved his Doctoral Musical Arts in cello performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where he was a member of the graduate piano trio in residence. He has been on the faculties at the Townsend School of Music at Mercer University in Georgia, as well as Spring Arbor College and Albion University and has served as co-director of the Jackson Symphony String Academy in Jackson, MI. During the summers, he has been on faculty at the Green Valley Chamber Music Festival in Las Vegas, the Summer Music Institute in San Antonio, TX, and the String Camp of Rochester.
Petition to Change British Airway's Instrument Baggage Policy
Reprinted from The Violin Channel on 6-11-2016
A change.org petition has been launched today calling for British Airways to change their instrument baggage policy – following a June 4th incident at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport where Dunedin Consort Concertmaster, Cecilia Bernardini was refused entry inflight with her 18th Century violin and case.
'This is unacceptable behavior by the BA staff," the petition reads, " … while of course we musicians understand the many stresses associated with working at an airport desk, we believe that BA needs to understand that the instruments we carry around are not just the tools of our trade but also priceless works of art.'
"I call on BA to institute a policy to clearly allow musical instruments to be carried on as hand luggage – otherwise musicians will be forced to go to other carriers which allow us to carry our instruments," petition founder, London-based violinist Paula Muldoon has said.
Currently almost 1200 signatures have been collected.
The Violin Channel's October 2nd, 2014 coverage of Air Canada's inconsistent viola policy received over 4000 social media shares, 200,000 page views and 33,000 Facebook likes –leading to the airline promptly readdressing their stance.
The Violin Channel's February 3rd, 2016 coverage of Norwegian Air's instrument cabin policy received over 5000 social media shares, 360,000 page views and 40,000 Facebook likes – leading to the airline also promptly readdressing their stance.
Some Hassles of International Cello Travel
By Zachary Mowitz:
Curtis Institute cello student Zachary Mowitz tells the story of his recent travel to Europe, and the stress and aggravation caused by inconsistent cello policies between airlines, and untrained and uninformed airline personnel.
As a student cellist I've had several occasions to travel by plane with my cello, both domestically and internationally. This is the first journey where I've had any difficulty at all– every time I've traveled before, I've always been let on (I even traveled to Europe with Lufthansa a couple years ago, and they were one of the most helpful back then), with at most a look of incredulity at my bringing a big guitar on board.
In fact, everything looked all right, at first, for this flight. Lufthansa let me check in (at Philly for a flight to Valencia, Spain, with a layover in Frankfurt) without any real difficulty. It wasn't until we reached our gate that the same woman who had checked us in met us to inform me that I could not be let on board because the cello ticket was not "associated"; correctly and consequently was not registered as having been paid for. After about two hours of calling everybody we could think of– all of which amounted to our travel agents saying the tickets were definitely paid for and booked correctly while the gate agent kept insisting it wasn't associated correctly, without explaining what that meant– the gates were shut and our tour manager and I were left to find a new flight (the rest of our group continued without us).
We were lucky enough to find a flight through United just a couple hours later, with a connection in London through British Airways. Their employees were among the most helpful I've ever encountered. In London, however, the ticket again wasn't showing up correctly, but after about 20 minutes, they fixed the booking and explained that every airline has a different policy for these things. We ended up arriving in Barcelona, driving down Spain's stunning Mediterranean for four hours to arrive in Valencia about 23 hours after we first showed up at the Philly airport. When we flew out about a week later from Valencia to Berlin with Swiss Air, we ran into yet another issue, which was that my cello's ticket was not showing up at all. The clerk said that it must have been cancelled because we didn't get on our initial flight in the itinerary for the tour (although my personal ticket and the tour manager's ticket were just fine). We rebooked all three tickets (mine, my cello, and the tour manager's) and ran into the same problem, which they couldn't explain, so we just proceeded to the gate hoping that there would be an extra seat and the flight attendants would be accommodating. Everything turned out fine and we learned during our layover in Zurich that the additional seat did not show up because Swiss Air's policy was to book one ticket and then have an extra seat with no name. The clerk there knew this instantly, whereas nobody ever figured this out in Valencia.
What I took away from all this is that, as they said in London, it's different for every airline– but not just every airline, every airport. The policy is there and seems pretty clear for every airline, but not all clerks at every airport are trained well enough to find it. Valencia is a relatively small airport, so they probably don't run into as many cellists as Zurich or London. Philly is not small, but as one of the Lufthansa employees very earnestly told us as we were figuring out our new ticket with United, their airline has relatively few flights out of Philly and this likely contributed to the problem.
Born and raised in Princeton, NJ, Cellist Zachary Mowitz currently studies at the Curtis Institute with Carter Brey and Peter Wiley. Previously he worked with Lynne Beiler, Efe Baltacigil, Dane Johansen and Priscilla Lee. Zachary has performed as a soloist with several orchestras in New Jersey and Pennsylvania and has attended summer programs at Kneisel Hall in Blue Hill and Taos School of Music, where he co-founded the St. Bernard Trio. He served as Principal Cello of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra and was featured in Curtis on Tour in Spain and Germany during the Spring of 2016. Zachary plays on a cello generously loaned to him by the Carlsen Cello Foundation.
Curtis on Tour is Stalled by Airline Refusal To Take Cello
Reprinted from Slipped Disc May 21, 2016
Students from the Curtis Institute were boarding a plane at Philadelphia this weekend at the start of a tour of Spain when a Lufthansa official refused to take a cello on board.
The cellist, Zach, had to take another plane – American Airlines, no problem with cello – but he could only get a flight to London and spent many hours trying to connect up with the others in Valencia.
The first Curtis on Tour performance is May 18 in Alicante.
Curtis have confirmed that 'there were indeed difficulties with a cello' and are looking into the incident.
Lufthansa have offered no excuses, yet.
Apparently, at Philadelphia airport, Lufthansa staff gave a variety of reasons why the cello ticket could not be issued to the group. First that a boarding pass could not be printed in their system, then that the ticket was not paid for.
Despite a confirmation from Curtis's travel agent that the ticket was paid for and a ticket number, Lufthansa was unable to resolve the problem within 2 hours, and the flight departed without the cello or cellist on board. The flight was booked through a an experienced classical-music travel agent who has booked many cello tickets down the years. She has never seen anything like this before.
Lufthansa owe Curtis an apology.
Great Chamber Music Reading and Watching
Besides enormously enhancing listening skills, chamber music study also develops a players' ability to sight-read, note read and watch. These are skills that are vital in orchestral situations as well. However, this is not about that kind of reading and watching! This is about books, movies and videos that will also greatly enhance the skills of anyone playing chamber music.
READING: There are some great books out there about chamber music. None of these are long (300 pages or less) and are relatively quick and easy reading. I hope this will spur the interest of those reading this article to check some of them out.
Con Brio: Four Russians Called The Budapest String Quartet by Nat Brandt
The Budapest Quartet was perhaps the greatest quartet ever…or certainly one of the most important. They existed for nearly 50 years, and their influence lasted far beyond their last concert in 1967. In particular, their legendary second violinist, Sasha Schneider coached many of the players in the next several generations of great quartets…including many who are still active today. The book is a fascinating look into the history of the quartet, the dynamics between its members, and many stories of their travels as what was really the first full-time professional string quartet. Their career paved the way for the many that followed. Nat Brant, son-in- law to the quartet's violist Boris Kroyt, who played in the quartet for thirty years, writes the book with personal insight.
Indivisible by Four – A String Quartet in Pursuit of Harmony by Arnold Steinhardt.
This is a beautifully written book by the great first violinist of the Guarneri String Quartet. There are passages that accurately and beautifully describe the thought processes that occur during a performance, as well as many stories about the germination and growth of the amazing career of the Guarneri String Quartet. The quartet played together for 45 years, (from 1964-2009). The only personnel change occurred in 2001 when cellist David Sawyer was no longer able to maintain the touring schedule of the group. Its early years were strongly influenced by members of the Budapest Quartet, and in many ways, their career took off where the Budapest Quartet's career ended. This is a wonderful book from any perspective….from the most knowledgeable professional chamber musicians to those who know next to nothing about music.
Stormy Applause – Making Music in a Workers State by Rostislav Dubinsky
This fascinating book was written in 1989 by the amazing musician who was founding member and first violinist of the world-renowned Borodin Quartet that was formed in 1946 and existed for many years behind the "iron curtain" of communist Stalin-era and post-Stalin Soviet Union. Not only did the quartet have enormous political hurdles to overcome caused by official disapproval of their work, but also anti-Semitism. For those with memories of the Soviet Union, this book will be a reminder of those times. For younger readers, some of the stories may seem nearly unbelievable. Dubinsky immigrated to the USA in 1976 where he became head of the chamber music department at the Indiana University School of Music. In the words of the great American violinist Isaac Stern: "For anyone interested in the societal development in the Soviet Union in the years before Gorbachev, this book once begun will not be put down, even at the cost of sleep. Well written and colloquial, it evokes the core of the life of the Soviet musician from the death of Stalin to the time of Mr. Dubinsky's departure from the Soviet Union. Every page has an authentic sound and smell to it. The author is extraordinarily sensitive both to the forces governing his political life and to the historical power of musical inquiry that drives a thinking musician. One reads, cries a little, sometimes giggles, and learns."
The Art of Quartet Playing: The Guarneri String Quartet by David Blum
This is another book about the Guarneri Quartet, written 1986. The author was a well-known musician, writer, musicologist and personal friend of the members of the quartet. It is full of stories of the quartet's history, the individual backgrounds of the members, and their individual ideas on many subjects including teaching, music making and creativity. There also is a detailed discussion of the major aspects of the quartet repertoire and some especially interesting discourse on Beethoven's amazing Opus 131 String Quartet in C-sharp minor. This wonderful book is a little bit more scholarly and "hard-core" than some of the others, and especially interesting for those who know the repertoire or want to learn more about it.
Violin Dreams by Arnold Steinhardt
Arnold Steinhardt's second book is not specifically about chamber music, but fits in because it is by one of the greatest chamber musicians of all time. It is such a great book about the journey of becoming a musician that I think EVERY STUDENT of any instrument, (and probably their teachers!) should read it. It is expressive, personal, and just plain interesting. His descriptive writing about the Chaconne from the D minor Partita by J.S. Bach is amazing. One very unique feature of this book is that it comes with a CD that has his performance of that Partita he made forty years ago, along with one he made in 2008 specifically for this book. In my opinion, a must read!!
Guide to Chamber Music by Melvin Berger
This is not a book that one reads for pleasure, but is instead a very valuable resource that contains information on most of the chamber music repertoire for strings or strings with piano. Presented in alphabetical order by composer, each chapter begins with biographical information. Works by that composer are then listed in chronological order, with movement titles and descriptive writing that amounts to brief program notes.
WATCHING: Here is some info on great chamber music watching. With the growth of YouTube, there is an amazing amount of material to explore. Many great historic quartet performances are posted on YouTube. However, many are not actually videos, but instead historic audio recordings, often accompanied by historic photographs. Although those are a great resource, they do not compare with actually seeing video of great chamber music performances. Many of that type of video are by young, "up and coming" ensembles. But there are videos of great performances by historically great chamber ensembles that are no longer on the concert touring circuit. .
There are also some documentary films about great quartets, and even some fictional movies about chamber music.
In The Mainstream: The Cleveland Quartet (available on DVD, and also on YouTube)
This is a documentary about the Cleveland String Quartet, one of the greatest quartets for about 20 years in the 1970's and 80's. The members have all gone on to very distinguished teaching careers. The film documents about a year of their traveling and performing around the globe in the early 1980's. The film culminates at the Aspen festival in Colorado with a performance of the Mendelssohn Octet. Close observation of that part of the movie will yield several glimpses of this author both playing in the Octet and at a party scene at Aspen!
High Fidelity: Adventures of the Guarneri String Quartet (Available on DVD)
Not to be confused with a movie called "High Fidelity" starring Jack Black and John Cusack, this is a documentary of the legendary Guarneri String Quartet made in 1988 with performances of Mozart, Beethoven and others. It also has fascinating footage of their rehearsals, travelling and interpersonal dynamics.
A Late Quartet
This is a recent Hollywood film that in all honestly, I can NOT recommend. The story is ridiculous, convoluted, and not realistic. Many string players find the fake playing by the actors very hard to watch, though the actors certainly must have tried very hard to look like they knew what they are doing. Just the same, there are issues explored that do actually occur in professional quartets, and the music is beautifully played by the Borremeo Quartet. The most redeeming thing about this film is that it might actually inspire people to get to know the late quartets of Beethoven (Opus 127, 130, 131, 132, and 135). These are truly unique, transcendental and complex works of art, known by too few. They were the only major works Beethoven wrote after the Ninth Symphony, and are considered by many the greatest music ever written. These pieces are the reason many musicians want to become quartet players.
Here some interesting YouTube videos.
Schubert String Quartet No 14 D minor Death and the Maiden Alban Berg Quartet – YouTube
This is one of the great European Quartets, not often seen or heard in Minnesota.
Schubert Piano Trio No 2 in E flat major D929 Andante – Beaux Arts Trio – YouTube
Any performance by this legendary piano trio is of interest.
Guarneri String Quartet Beethoven (vaimusic.com) – YouTube
Guarneri playing Beethoven Opus 95 ("Serioso")
Brahms Klavierquartett nr 1 op 25 Mikhail Rudy, Guarneri Quartet.avi – YouTube
The Guarneri again, with pianist Mikhail Rudy in a great performance. Of particular interest is that John Daly (usually 2 nd violin) is playing instead of Arnold Steinhardt. It shows how great a player he was.
Schubert – Quartetto Italiano – Quartetto in re min. D.810 – La morte e la fanciulla – YouTube
Rare footage of one of the most musically interesting, unique and long-lived of the post-WWII European Quartets. Elisa Pegreffi, (2 nd violin) was a groundbreaking female performer and a huge charismatic force in what was at that time, a male dominated quartet world.
So Why Is Improvisation So Important?
Like so many classically trained cellists, improvising was never something that I felt very comfortable trying. And although most of my professional life has been in the world of new music, improvisation was not something that I had explored in depth until a few years ago.
My improvisational journey began literally the day after my final day with the Kronos Quartet when I played a concert at The Stone in New York with John Zorn and several others on one of his monthly improv nights. For those of you who have never been to one, the way that these concerts work is that everyone sits downstairs in the basement and one by one people decide in the moment who plays with whom. It can be duos, trios or quartets – you literally have no idea what you are playing or whom you are playing with until two seconds before walking upstairs. Everyone then comes together at the end to play in one giant improv. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was taking my first step into a new world that, over time, has increasingly become a large part of my performing life.
A few days after the Stone show, Zorn and I grabbed some sushi together. One of the questions he had for me was, being fully aware of my rookie status as an improvisor, how I felt about improvising a few nights before. I responded by saying that I had made an interesting discovery about myself. I had learned that when I improvised with people I didn't know, my musical behavior was no different than the conversation that I would have had if I were meeting people for the first time. I am much better in smaller groups, but when the groups get larger I tend to listen more than talk. This was exactly what happened when I was improvising.
Some time later I put together a concert as part of VisionIntoArt's Ferus Festival at the Stone. The group was comprised of Vijay Iyer, Scott Colley and Satoshi Takeshi. These were all individuals that I had long admired and I was thrilled when everyone agreed to play. However, about two weeks before the show, I began to have a bit of a panic. After all, these are some of the best improvisers around. What was I thinking putting myself on stage with these master improvisors?
When we began playing together it sounded…GREAT! At that moment I knew what I needed to do. I would just lay back and let everyone else do they're thing. They will sound great and I can just ride on their coat tails. What a great plan!
While we were playing, at some point I made a very minute change in what I was doing…immediately the entire group made a shift in the texture. Oh no – they are actually listening to me too! My plan was ruined.
I was literally shocked by the heightened level that Vijay, Scott and Satoshi were listening at. I have spent most of my career as a chamber musician playing at most of the major concert halls around the world. I had never played with musicians that were that closely tuned in to the nuances of everyone's playing. Without a doubt this level of engagement would tremendously benefit any musician or chamber group regardless of what repertoire they were playing.
Over the years I have found that the best improvisors are also the very best listeners.
Part of the reason why classical musicians don't want to improvise is that we are conditioned to fear making mistakes. Our job is to develop an interpretation with integrity and then attempt to execute it to perfection whenever we perform. When this works, the performance can be sublime. In our lessons we are told to vibrate on every note, to play the exact same bowings all of the time, not to play the wrong articulation, not to put the accents in the wrong place and to absolutely only play the correct notes. When we improvise, which ones are the correct notes?!
I am not saying that there are no mistakes when you improvise. But I have discovered over the years that often things that may immediately feel like they might be mistakes are actually opportunities to allow the music to evolve.
Several years ago I formed a trio with the German pianist Hauschka and the Finnish drummer Samuli Kosminen. We call ourselves H K Z. I love playing in this group. Hauschka and Samuli are both brilliant musicians and master improvisors. I have learned a great deal working with those two. Whenever we play together we always make a plan. We have yet to actually stick to the plan.
Last Fall we played two concerts in Berlin at Radialsystem V. The shows were packed and went very well. In our sound checks, after we had checked all of our microphones and effects units, we would generally just begin playing together in order to feel each other out. Often these improvisations are the best because you have zero expectations since it isn't the actual concert. For this reason, it is not uncommon to stumble upon perhaps the most magical moment that you could ever imagine.
But then what do you do next? Do you try to recreate the same magic in the concert? Sounds like a reasonable idea. But I will tell you this, every single time that I have ever tried to recreate a magical moment in a concert it has fallen flat…every…single…time. Why does that happen?
It is just like taking a walk through the woods. You are only following your imagination and then unexpectedly you find a clearing that leads to the most incredible view you had ever seen. The next day you come back and make your way to the same spot. But this time you go more directly because you know where you are going. It is still nice, but the magic of stumbling upon that moment will never be the same. A mentor of mine once told me that "Life never turns out the way you planned. But it always works out." I have found this definitely to be true.
After several decades of exploring the outer limits of music, I have thoroughly enjoyed returning to my classical roots teaching at Mannes College the New School for Music. My students are very talented and I enjoy exploring the possibilities of the cello with them. After spending so many years drawing outside of the lines, I definitely see the benefits for students to be able to explore this area of playing. It heightens one's level of listening and teaches one all of the skills of chamber music. It also gives performers the ability to successfully turn any unexpected moment on stage into an opportunity for success.
When I reflect upon my studies, this approach does not actually clash with my training as much as it would seem. Paul Katz taught me a great deal about the cello and musicianship. However, I think the greatest gift that he gave me was the importance of listening. In addition to leading to artistic integrity, it also enables one to engage fully in all levels of music making whether you are an orchestral musician, soloist or chamber musician. When I was studying with Janos Starker he would tell us that we should have several different approaches already mapped out and that we should not stick to only one way of playing. This way whenever you perform you have choices. Listen to yourself and to others. Always make a plan, but be flexible.


text:
Dark Souls: Prepare To Die EditionDLC
- Released on Aug 24, 2012
- By From Software for PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Dark Souls: Prepare To Die Edition review
The good:
A phenomenal challenge
The seemingly non existent plot very slowly and subtly makes its way into the game. You may not really notice it or understand it at all the first time you play, but it's there, and it's very interesting.
It's really difficult, and yes, this is a good thing. It doesn't hold your hand or pat you on the back so everything you do actually feels like you've done it yourself.
The online co op is a great way for new players to make a boss fight easier, or to just enjoy the company of another player as you fight a boss.
The combat in this game is really something else, straying from the usual 'press A until you win' and making it feel like actual strategy. Even regular enemies can kill you if you aren't paying attention to your combat skills.
The world looks beautiful, and it's very big with barely any loading screens.
Fantastic boss fights.
Multiplayer is difficult to access occasionally. Lags a little in blight town, but not enough to make it a real problem. Can be very difficult which might be a fault for some people.Summary:
Dark Souls is a game that, at the beginning, throws you in alone and you have to work out where to go and what to do. This lack of direction seems to scare some people off, and to them I say, give it another go! It's part of what builds the challenge in the game by refusing to hand-hold players and provides a sense of accomplishment when you do figure things out.
This dark, beautiful and terrifically designed game is one that everyone should get to experience. It's crafted in such a way that really makes players want to explore every corner of its world, delivering visuals that work well with it. Although it has been said that it is difficult and for hardcore gamers, it is not difficult in an unfair way, but rather in a rewarding one. Even people who are terrible at Dark Souls can get better with practice and time, and when you do, it's worth it.
The basic idea of the game is that you have to go through and area and get to the boss. Dark Souls accomplishes making that feel like an adventure, and one that you'll want to go through again and again. The areas themselves are beautiful and full of things that want you dead, but the boss fights are amazing. Boss cutscenes can give you chills, and killing the bosses themselves can feel like an accomplishment and a challenge.
The fighting works since it's more than just mashing buttons until you win. If you don't put some thought into your actions and respond accordingly to the enemies then you're going to wind up dead pretty quickly. Killing creatures gives you souls that you can use to level up or upgrade your weapons and armour. You can also buy items from various merchants who want your souls and seem to enjoy laughing ominously. There are also a few other characters in the game who you get to know, some good, some evil. You yourself also get to decide whether your path will be righteous or corrupt, there is a lot of freedom in your choices.
If you're not up for playing solo then there is the option of online co-op. This can also help to lessen the difficulty for those frustrated by it. It works fairly well, although sometimes can be difficult to access. Work past that little issue and you can extract a lot of enjoyment out of it.
Overall, Dark Souls is not only a game worth playing, but it's a game worth playing over and over again. It is undoubtedly the best game I have ever played with very few faults, and I highly suggest you give it a good go.
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